Thermohydraulic power converter



1 c. H; VLACHOS 60,123

THERMOHYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER Filed Aug. 11, 1952 2 Sheets- Sheet l 5FIG-2 INVENTOR Cansfanfinos H. V/achos ATTORNEY NOV. 24, c, H.THERMOHYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1952 INVENTOR Constant/nos H. VlachosATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED E S OF-F I CE THERMOMDRAULICPOWEBZGONVERTEBH Gonstantinos; H. Vlachos Vancouver; Wash.

ADnlicadion'iAugusts-u, ,1952;;Serial ND..3D3;79

1;. claim, (01. 1035118);

This invention: is a, povverz-converteri It is one object of theinvention toe-pgiovide -a power: converter which. is particularly;adapted to; convert the potential generate-troutrages-under pressuregto.a liquid undenpressurea Another object oithe invention-sis: to: providea; power, converter: which: is;- simpleein. .COIflStillGn 01039:; andmay. beemanutacturedi at: lomcost; and isanoti liable to getoutofavorking lorder.

Another: object. of the: invention,- lies, in thematter-of thisapplication.

Figure '2- is. avertical; cross, section, taken, "lone. gitudinallythrough the power converter.

Eigure :3-1is atransyerse vcross*serstiomas atiline 3g- -3iofrFigurer2Figure-4; is a side.:;elevatiorreoi at shell. ..iormins a part of amotor.

The/power converter of thisainventioni is pro: vided: with ,ahousing: H),Ihaving; ansenlargedaine termediate; portion-1 II-, which houses.aipow-er generator or fluid; pump 2",;3I1d 511368i5 axially alignedreducedportions lfi whichzhoiisei fluidior gas. driven motors rl 4..

Referring to Eigure. 1, ,itewilL-bei seenithat fiuid motors: aresecured, to drive i the. four wheels ofa vehicleiand" are. connected,to;-the,- dis.-. chargesidee 15 ot, the, fluid pump 1.2; Theifi uiddriven thereby is thus forced, through. the mo:- tors M to effectivelypower the. four. wheels.

A gas: pressure generator G=producesiai fluid pressure as by a: burnerl3.,or the,-likev andlzthis fluid under pressure enters the motorsM'Qthrough conduit C, threadedly engaged" in removable headsl6andcausesthem -to retate. The escaping gasis exhaustedthroughtubes T through acondenser R'from whence itis'returned tothe generatorG for-anothercycle; of. course adequatevalves and controls are providedifors ac.-

complishing the desired speedrcontrol andeother into the bodyterminatingin afaced end wall:

la," The;sideswalls fiih:of socket. 1 I 8-. areepolished on far: to;:present;a, smooth working surface, fflifythe cooperat ng; parts,Badiailyextending, int rnelbn threaded; and diametrically opposed ports15' andflir areqpllovided inthe, housing- I I andrcommunicat withsocketnm. Each port is spaced;v from: its; adjacent ports, degrees; oncenters thus: providing four of" saidvports.

Ajs;:indicated;.in Eigure; 5'-, when, the greatest transverse;dimension; of. socket i 3 is horizontal, theaports. I5;and1 2.1!. are:positioned 45 degrees. above'sa-ndi below horizontal one at-each sideofalongitudinal: vertical plane. Of course, socket 18- may rhespositionedat. any angledesired and the HOIYISEWiIIathK-EII vbeprovided. in thesame position rellativetozthasocket:1

Eistoni: carrier or rotoriiz is substantially circularii'ntransversec'cross section; as; seen inFiglit-e115,andewhenrpositioned;centric of socket l8; defines; crescent shapedqchambers 2'3 between the rotorrandhousing-J L: Eorts l5 andwz-i thusopen 1 intowsocket i8; adjacentv the; extreme ends of chambers: 2:3: It;will be; -noted*. that the. op

p'osedeend's of chain-here haveopposite ports I52: and; 21;, That; is,one: end: has an. inlet port [52.1while: thez-opp osemendreithe; samechamber hasa-,an o11tleti,port;2 L, and the opposedf cham'bers 23 20mtheir, corresponding; upper or: lower; ends haveopposit'ezportsrBetweenv the: ports of the; corresponding ends ofaopposed:cliamlcierssv23; I have; provided by-pass grooveszz lt a which communicate: with:socket: 18 throughout. their; length;v and midway the length of saidgrooveseIchave providedzconduitsZfi communicating with; said: groovesand extendingrlongitudinallyeofithe housing; Izl. Conduits 25terminateuatztheir 'rear ends; in a vertically extenda ing conduitrzitwhich: communicates midway its length'with". an: annular well 2.1?

Aboutethe-zmoutheof socketliih, Iilhave provided aerecessr 285m; faces,and: a; matching" bossp 33 carried? byvcover plate; 3.1 is: fittedtherein; A 4

gasketion seaiihgfring 32 encirclesthei boss tilrand is:.:clamped';between faceZFz; and: cover plate. 3! to;sealithetsocketz againstleaking; The longitudinal movement of boss 3! intohsockett i8 islimitedibyareasoni.of"shoulders; definediiloy therecesszzflnthusxproviding azproper; finallongitudinal dimensiomtm:socketilflz; A packingwgland -fit; is for-meeting cover: plate 31coaxial with. socket l8 andiprovidesxa bearing: andlseai for" stub shaft3,4 splined:iintoipistonncarrier or;roton 22. Multiple stud bolts: 35apass; through spaced-openings in cover: plate -3 I; and thread: intohousing I I to. securetheiplate thereon-11 Rotor or piston carrier 22isprovided with radiall'w disposed; longitudinally; extending multipleslots abiouti itseperiphery. As indicated in Figure 53, therotorhasiaihubi fit-and spaced on centers "every? 1%20 'degreesaboutftheperiphery of the hub are-roller receiving slots 31 having tubular rollerpistons 38 thereinand positioned about the hub 60 degrees from slots 31are vane receiving slots 3% also occurring every 120 degrees about thehub from each other. Vane pistons til are carried by slots 35 and areslidable therein. Positioned intermediate each piston receiving slot 3'?and 35 I have provided compression slots M.

Concentric with hub 38, I have provided a spline bore d2 adapted to fitover splines 3 of stub shafts 34 and forms a conduit through the hub 36.Radially extending conduits 43 communicate with the bore :2 and at theirouter ends communicate with the piston receiving slots 31' and 39 midwaytheir lengths.

The cover plate 3! is provided with a diametric conduit is whichcommunicates with conduits 25 and terminate at the center of the coverwith an annular well 35. Each splined stub shaft 3 3 has a conduitdrilled therein communicating the bore with its cooperating well 35 or27. Cover plate 3| carries the housing it as does the opposed end ofhousing ll and since the two motors M are identical the description ofone will sufiice. Shafts 34 may he an integral part of motor rotor is orit may be keyed therein as at Lil. In each motor, there are eightequally spaced vanes or blades 48 and a rotor as serving as a carrierfor the vanes. This rotor is of cylindrical form and comprises a hubportion 5% which is provided with equally spaced slots 5|, which slotsare provided at the bottom with a taper 52 and which slots are adaptedto slidingly receive the blades. The rotor 49 is also provided with anextending shaft 8 5 at one end, and at the other end, with aconcentrically projecting boss 53. The slots 5| extend through the bossand the greatest depth of the slots is at the boss end. Forced on tothis boss is a washer 54, the thickness of the washer corresponding tothe length of the boss and the diameter of the washer being greater thanthat of the hub, so that it forms a projecting flange. When the washeris thus assembled, the slots in the boss form holes 55 (Fig. 2) leadingfrom the root of the vane slots to the exterior of the washer. There isalso provided a shell 56 for the rotor, the shell being bored in twostepped diameters and faced at the end of the largest diameter. Thesmaller bore 5'! is concentric and of a size adapted to loosely receivethe shaft 34 f the rotor, and the larger bore 53 is oblong in the formof a socket, which socket receives the rotor and is covered by theflange of the washer 54. The periphery of this housing is of conicalform, the greatest diameter of the cone being at the faced or washer end59. The outer or conical periphery of the housing serves as a valve forfour radial ports Bil. There is a 60 degree spacing between the ports,and the vanes are 45 degrees apart, so that there are always two bladesbetween the ports.

When the rotor is in place, by inserting its shaft into the shaft hole59, pressure from the washer end of the carrier will force the hubagainst the bottom of the socket and will force the flange against thefaced end of the shell, so that there will be two crescent shapedchambers formed between the rotor and shell, the end walls of whichchambers will be formed, one from the shell and the other from theflange or shroud-like extension of the washer.

The fluid pressure enters longitudinally and is directed against theexterior of the washer with a consequent passage through the holes 55 tobeneath the vanes, the resultant being that the vanes are forcedoutwardly and also by reason of the end pressure are forcedlongitudinally against the bottom of the socket. The resultant is thatall points of the rectangular chamber are sealed and are yieldingly heldin permanently sealed relation against wear. The housing It isinternally bored at 6! with a conical hole forming a valve seat for theexternal valve surface of the housing. Internally of the housing I 3 andrunning longitudinally are two pairs of channels 62 and 63, the channelsof each pair being diametrically opposed. The channels lead from overthe ports when the housing and shell are assembled, one pair of thechannels leading toward one end of the housing, and the other pairleading toward the other end of the housing.

There is provided in the housing an annulus 64 into which, whenassembled, one pair of the shell channels lead, the annulus forming aconnecting conduit to connect such channels. In the housing i 3 is apipe hole 65 which leads into an internal annulus 65 of the housing,which internal annulus co-mates with an annulus fi l in the shell. Theother pair of channels leads to the flanged ends of the device wherechambers 85 are formed, which chambers are closed by heads it screwedinto pipe threads 65 internal of the housings it, which threads are of adiameter permitting the passage or insertion of the housing, so thatwhen a fluid under pressure is admitted through the pipe connection atthis point, the fluid is directed against the washer and also passesthrough one pair of the shell channels and thence through one pair ofthe ports; but if the shell 55 is turned 90 degrees in relation to thehousing, then the fluid passes through the other pair of ports, thusreversing the direction of rotation or the rotor. A lever 57 is providedon the shell 56 and extends outwardly of the housing It for reversingthe motor.

Inspection of Figure 2 will reveal that the stub shafts 34 are splinedat 34' into each end of the bore 42 uniting both motors Hi to rotatewith the pump I2 as a unit.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a power converter having rotary gas powered motors one at each endand an intermediate rotary hydraulic pump uniting said motors, a housingcomprising a base, an intermediate socket having an oblong shapetransversely thereof and adapted to receive the rotor of said pump anddefine opposed chambers between the housing and said rotor, an open endon said socket, a closure for said open end, an inwardly tapered axiallyaligned socket in said closure and adapted to contain one of saidmotors, a reduced end portion on the housing opposed to said closure, aninwardly tapered axial socket in said end portion adapted to contain theother of said motors, and inlet and outlet ports in the housing for eachmotor and pump.

CONSTANTINOS H. VLACI-IOS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NameDate Keller Apr. 7, 1908 Berrenberg Sept. 10, 1912 Sundh Mar. 23, 1915Wilkin July 4, 1916 Curtis et a1 Apr. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS CountryDate France Mar. 19, 1929 Number Number

